Potter will be part of Masters lore even if he never wins another tournament.

Steve Schonberg

Ocala

Ridiculous politics

Three and a half years prior to the next presidential election, the Republican Party is scrambling for ways to win back the White House. They are holding all sorts of meetings, second guessing why they have failed, and in the process spending millions to come up with the answer for success.

I have a simple solution for them. Forget running two stiff white guys for president and vice president. That ship has sailed. At least one of the candidates must be a minority. There are well-qualified minorities in the Republican Party.

If elected to the office, make promises you could never keep. Promise that everybody on welfare will receive double the benefits they're currently receiving. Same promise goes for the people receiving food stamps.

The government will provide health care for everybody.

The 14 million-plus illegal immigrants will be given instant citizenship. You can go either way on abortion or gay marriages; the country is well divided on both.

Seem ridiculous? Of course it is? Ridiculous equals politics. Throughout history many advanced societies have been fooled by false promises.

Hitler promised the German people every German family would have a Volkswagen and every pot a chicken in it. He sure lived up to his promises.

A-la-cart President Obama, after winning the 2008 election, stated publicly that if he can't balance the budget at the end of his first four years he doesn't deserve to be re-elected. In four years he never had a budget. He ballooned the national debt by $5 trillion. Regardless of what he said, he got re-elected anyway.

So Republicans, go for it. Watch what you wish for. In four years you could be dealing with an American disaster. Your only out will be to blame the previous administration.

God save America.

Joseph A. Nagy

Ocala

Common mistake

In a recent article, one your reporters makes a debatable claim about Common Core: it is "heavily based on research," he wrote.

Actually, all of the academics on the Common Core validation team refused to sign off on Common Core because the people who wrote it refused to give any evidence Common Core is backed by research. In addition, not one school or school district field tested Common Core before states decided to throw it at all their kids. Pilot testing is an essential part of researching any social program.

And this statement is outright false: "The Common Core standards are used internationally. When fully implemented, the benchmarks in Florida can be compared to those in other Common Core states or countries."

Early on, Common Core promoters promised the academic requirements would be "benchmarked" to international norms. But Common Core's creators also refused to provide their own validation committee any evidence they had done so. Now the Common Core's website merely claims the standards are "informed by" international education standards. And not one other country uses Common Core, as it was created within the U.S. and is an original document.

Joy Pullmann

Heartland Institute

Chicago, Ill.

Regulation does cost

Rep. Ted Yoho is correct about the cost of regulation. Most regulation is imposed because of fear and unfair treatment. When it comes to the environment, we need to use correct and accurate science, not Al Gore's scare tactics of global warming. History is a good teacher.

In response to the recent letter "Deregulation cost," I totally disagree. The problem with the economy since 2007 was caused by regulation of the banking business in America.

The Community Redevelopment Act of the Carter administration, then the Dodd-Frank Act later, caused the banking business to grant unqualified loans so everyone could own a home.

President George W. Bush tried in 2002 to change the wreck but was voted down by the Democratic Congress — and here came the wreck, which we have not recovered from as of today.

Regulation will kill the economy as we know it in America. Our economy grows and creates jobs best when we have the freedom to invest without government requiring unnecessary regulations.

Yes, Rep. Yoho, you have the right idea, so let's get it done.

Richard Barber

Ocala

Misfiring

In the April 9 Opinion section there was a column by Carl Hiaasen, "NRA taking its fright tactics to another level." Mr. Hiaasen clearly doesn't know enough about the subject of guns to comment.

An AR-15 does not have clips. It has magazines, and even a basic writer who did any research would have known that. The only assault weapon in the category of the AR-15-is the M-1 rifle used in World War II and Korea, and limited use in Vietnam. The M-1 had an eight-round clip that was ejected when the last round was fired. There are no 30-round clips that I have ever heard of.

So my message to Mr. Hiaasen is to at least know which end the round goes out of and the difference between a clip and a magazine. He is typical of today's commentators that write knee-jerk solutions on a subject that they know nothing about.

<p><b>Potter's Master's win</b></p><p>Some of the major championship winners who Ted Potter gets to join as the 2013 Masters Par 3 Contest champion: Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Raymond Floyd, Davis Love III, David Toms and Padraig Harrington.</p><p>Potter will be part of Masters lore even if he never wins another tournament.</p><p><i>Steve Schonberg</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p> </p><p><b>Ridiculous politics</b></p><p>Three and a half years prior to the next presidential election, the Republican Party is scrambling for ways to win back the White House. They are holding all sorts of meetings, second guessing why they have failed, and in the process spending millions to come up with the answer for success.</p><p>I have a simple solution for them. Forget running two stiff white guys for president and vice president. That ship has sailed. At least one of the candidates must be a minority. There are well-qualified minorities in the Republican Party.</p><p>If elected to the office, make promises you could never keep. Promise that everybody on welfare will receive double the benefits they're currently receiving. Same promise goes for the people receiving food stamps.</p><p>The government will provide health care for everybody.</p><p>The 14 million-plus illegal immigrants will be given instant citizenship. You can go either way on abortion or gay marriages; the country is well divided on both.</p><p>Seem ridiculous? Of course it is? Ridiculous equals politics. Throughout history many advanced societies have been fooled by false promises.</p><p>Hitler promised the German people every German family would have a Volkswagen and every pot a chicken in it. He sure lived up to his promises.</p><p>A-la-cart President Obama, after winning the 2008 election, stated publicly that if he can't balance the budget at the end of his first four years he doesn't deserve to be re-elected. In four years he never had a budget. He ballooned the national debt by $5 trillion. Regardless of what he said, he got re-elected anyway.</p><p>So Republicans, go for it. Watch what you wish for. In four years you could be dealing with an American disaster. Your only out will be to blame the previous administration.</p><p>God save America.</p><p><i>Joseph A. Nagy</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p> </p><p><b>Common mistake</b></p><p>In a recent article, one your reporters makes a debatable claim about Common Core: it is "heavily based on research," he wrote.</p><p>Actually, all of the academics on the Common Core validation team refused to sign off on Common Core because the people who wrote it refused to give any evidence Common Core is backed by research. In addition, not one school or school district field tested Common Core before states decided to throw it at all their kids. Pilot testing is an essential part of researching any social program.</p><p>And this statement is outright false: "The Common Core standards are used internationally. When fully implemented, the benchmarks in Florida can be compared to those in other Common Core states or countries."</p><p>Early on, Common Core promoters promised the academic requirements would be "benchmarked" to international norms. But Common Core's creators also refused to provide their own validation committee any evidence they had done so. Now the Common Core's website merely claims the standards are "informed by" international education standards. And not one other country uses Common Core, as it was created within the U.S. and is an original document.</p><p><i>Joy Pullmann</p><p>Heartland Institute</p><p>Chicago, Ill.</i></p><p> </p><p><b>Regulation does cost</b></p><p>Rep. Ted Yoho is correct about the cost of regulation. Most regulation is imposed because of fear and unfair treatment. When it comes to the environment, we need to use correct and accurate science, not Al Gore's scare tactics of global warming. History is a good teacher.</p><p>In response to the recent letter "Deregulation cost," I totally disagree. The problem with the economy since 2007 was caused by regulation of the banking business in America.</p><p>The Community Redevelopment Act of the Carter administration, then the Dodd-Frank Act later, caused the banking business to grant unqualified loans so everyone could own a home.</p><p>President George W. Bush tried in 2002 to change the wreck but was voted down by the Democratic Congress — and here came the wreck, which we have not recovered from as of today.</p><p>Regulation will kill the economy as we know it in America. Our economy grows and creates jobs best when we have the freedom to invest without government requiring unnecessary regulations.</p><p>Yes, Rep. Yoho, you have the right idea, so let's get it done.</p><p><i>Richard Barber</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p> </p><p><b>Misfiring</b></p><p>In the April 9 Opinion section there was a column by Carl Hiaasen, "NRA taking its fright tactics to another level." Mr. Hiaasen clearly doesn't know enough about the subject of guns to comment.</p><p>An AR-15 does not have clips. It has magazines, and even a basic writer who did any research would have known that. The only assault weapon in the category of the AR-15-is the M-1 rifle used in World War II and Korea, and limited use in Vietnam. The M-1 had an eight-round clip that was ejected when the last round was fired. There are no 30-round clips that I have ever heard of.</p><p>So my message to Mr. Hiaasen is to at least know which end the round goes out of and the difference between a clip and a magazine. He is typical of today's commentators that write knee-jerk solutions on a subject that they know nothing about.</p><p><i>Gary Webber</p><p>Ocala</i></p>